The big question
You get to stay in your PJS, dodge the commute and watch Loose Women at lunchtime… but maybe you’re talking to the cat a lot more. Do the positives really outweigh the negatives?
Is it better to work from home?
Yes
“I love my job and I love where I live” Lauren Peacock, 39, lives with her partner Ben and their son Harry, four, in an 18th-century, threebedroom, terraced cottage in the Yorkshire Dales. Lauren runs a consultancy helping parents improve their children’s sleep (littlesleepstars.com).
‘Working from home allows me to get the best of both worlds. Before Harry was born, I was a lawyer and commuted to an office in Leeds. I was out of the house for 12 hours every day. Nowadays, I still work 40-plus hours a week – but doing it from our little country cottage makes it far more palatable.
When the COVID-19 lockdown began, things inevitably changed. Suddenly Ben needed to work from home, too, and we had to start juggling work and childcare between us – but it’s been fine. Whoever has to make the most calls works upstairs with the door closed to drown out any noise.
Admittedly, there are a few downsides to working from home, such as not having an IT department. It can also be hard to maintain work/life boundaries. I do have a dedicated workspace, but tend to gravitate towards the kitchen table because that’s the spot with the best views. But, ultimately, I love where we live and the life we have as a family. Working in this environment is a constant reminder of why I do it.’
No
“It’s impossible to switch off from work” Leila Vibert-stokes, 34, lives with her boyfriend Martin and seven housemates in an eight-bed Victorian terraced houseshare in London. Leila runs an interiors brand (leila-vibert-stokes.com).
‘I absolutely hate working from home – so much so that it was partially responsible for the shutting down of my first business. After 10 years working in textile design, I set up a greetings card subscription box business with a friend. But I just couldn’t stand the loneliness and isolation of working alone.
Working from home takes a lot of getting used to. A daily commute helps impose a beginning and end on the working day. I found it hard to motivate myself to get going. I’d wake up groggy, start work late, not get much done and be too easily distracted during the day. So that inevitably meant that work spilled over into the evenings and weekends.
When I set up my current interiors business, I knew things had to be different. I rented studio space to help keep work and home separate. It’s a 15-minute bike ride from home and the short commute helps me clear my head at the beginning and end of the working day. I share the space with a painter, a milliner and a fashion designer. We’re rarely all there at once, but it’s just nice to have other people around.
Because of the COVID-19 lockdown, I’ve had to work from home again.
It’s helped that Martin is there, too, and because he sticks to office hours, I’ve found it easier to do the same. I still can’t wait to get back to the studio full-time, though!’
“Although I still have phone calls and deadlines, I can work hard when I’m feeling at my most productive and scale things back when I’m not ”